Albany council approves changes to nightclub licensing

City lawmakers Monday night approved sweeping changes to how Albany regulates live entertainment — from coffee houses to nightclubs to churches — in hopes of restoring order to rowdy night spots and peace to the neighborhoods around them.

But the new cabaret licensing system remained controversial to the end, with one lawmaker calling it yet another tax of an already over-regulated industry and another questioning whether the city is inviting a lawsuit by asking its clerk to determine which activities are related to a church’s religious or charitable work and therefore not subject to a license. …

Generally speaking, any bar or restaurant that wants to regularly host amplified live entertainment like a DJ, rock band or karaoke will have to apply for an annual permit ranging in cost — depending the establishment’s size — between $150 and $500.

That permit is subject to input from the public and numerous city agencies — and could be revoked if the city deems the establishment to have violated any of the strict regulations that come with it.

Steve Barnes

6 Responses

actually it is a good idea dn a good piece(for a change) of legilation coming from Albanys common council. Unlike the furor surrounding it, I dont think its a overreach, and in this time when deficits are high and revenue is low, we need this type of legislative innovation to move this city forward! Now if the council can get to work on a commuter tax and a student tax then theyd really be on the ball!

WOW the democrats really love taxing us and telling us how to live, the city has decaying buildings and and if you want to call them roads and its share of crime , but lets tax music that will help the city , give me a break

Reminds me of that ridiculous cabaret law in NYC under which you need a license if three or more people dance. When will cities learn to just let businesses operate without these kinds of restrictions? When people are having fun, they spend money, and the city benefits through the taxes businesses subsequently have to pay. There’s no need to impose what essentially amount to penalties on revenue-generating enterprises.

We can only hope now that the people makeing the decisions on the permits will be fair and impartial and this will not turn into political back scratching to get permits granted or denied. All life-long Albanians know that machine has never been dismantled.

I’ve lived here for seven years now, after living in other eastern cities, the midwest, the south, California, and several countries overseas.

And I gotta say, I will never understand this town. In so many ways, Albany is a cultural wasteland — not a big surprise when the Capital of the WORLD is just a short train-ride away. Still you would think the city government would do everything in its power to encourage the arts to flourish. But no — what to we get? Another thinly disguised law designed to make it easy to shut down bars and restaurants we don’t like.

Eat, drink and be candid, with Times Union Senior Writer Steve Barnes

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